Multidimensional Psychology of Eating Questionnaire – MPEQ
A multidimensional self-report instrument designed to measure various psychological aspects of eating behaviors, attitudes, and cognitive-behavioral tendencies.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Multidimensional Psychology of Eating Questionnaire – MPEQ was developed by William E. Snell, Jr. (2001). It is designed to measure Psychology of eating, eating behaviors, and eating-related attitudes. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 130 items organized into 26 factors/subscales: eating optimism, eating disorder, eating perfectionism, eating self-monitoring, eating self-esteem, power-other locus of eating control, eating assertiveness, healthy eating appetite, motivation for healthy eating, eating social desirability, eating disorder prevention, chance-luck locus of eating control, eating consciousness, eating status self-perception, internal locus of eating control, motivation to avoid unhealthy eating, eating self-efficacy, eating disorder self-blame, eating self-schemata, eating response consistency, fear of becoming overweight, eating depression, eating satisfaction, eating anxiety, eating guilt-shame, eating anger.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| eating optimism | 1,21,41,61,81 | 5 |
| eating disorder | 2,22,42,62,82 | 5 |
| eating perfectionism | 3,23,43,63,83 | 5 |
| eating self-monitoring | 4,24,44,64,84 | 5 |
| eating self-esteem | 5,25,45,65,85 | 5 |
| power-other locus of eating control | 6,26,46,66,86 | 5 |
| eating assertiveness | 7,27,47,67,87 | 5 |
| healthy eating appetite | 8,28,48,68,88 | 5 |
| motivation for healthy eating | 9,29,49,89 | 4 |
| eating social desirability | 10,30,50,70,90 | 5 |
| eating disorder prevention | 11,31,51,71,91 | 5 |
| chance-luck locus of eating control | 12,32,52,72,92 | 5 |
| eating consciousness | 13,33,53,73,93 | 5 |
| eating status self-perception | 14,34,54,74,94 | 5 |
| internal locus of eating control | 15,35,55,75,95 | 5 |
| motivation to avoid unhealthy eating | 16,36,56,76,96 | 5 |
| eating self-efficacy | 17,37,57,77,97 | 5 |
| eating disorder self-blame | 18,38,58,78,98 | 5 |
| eating self-schemata | 19,39,59,79,99 | 5 |
| eating response consistency | 20,40,60,80,100 | 5 |
| fear of becoming overweight | 101,107,113,119,125 | 5 |
| eating depression | 102,108,114,120,126 | 5 |
| eating satisfaction | 103,109,115,121,127 | 5 |
| eating anxiety | 104,110,116,122,128 | 5 |
| eating guilt-shame | 105,111,117,123,129 | 5 |
| eating anger | 106,112,118,124,130 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Not at all characteristic of me, 1 = Slightly characteristic of me, 2 = Somewhat characteristic of me, 3 = Moderately characteristic of me, 4 = Very characteristic of me.
The scale includes 7 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 20. Interpretation guidelines:
- Subscale Score Range (0 to 20 per subscale): 0 – 20
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Varies by subscale (typically alpha > .70).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 25 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.